Featured: Sixteen University of Texas Rio Grande Valley students have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships this year that will take them around the world for Study Abroad courses this summer. The students are from across the Valley. Countries in this year’s studies abroad include Ireland, Brazil, Germany, China, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Peru and the United Kingdom. Shown are UTRGV Gilman recipients, professors and program administrators. From left, front row: Dr. Yanina Hernández, Lecturer, Writing & Language Studies; Lizette Leal, Specialist, International Programs & Partnerships; Raisa Ramírez; Alexandra Torres; Dr. Ping Xu, Assistant Professor of Art; Dr. Robert Gilbert, Associate Professor of art; Emily Rivas; Stephanie Torres; Myrine Barreiro-Arévalo; and Lorelei López. From left, back row: Maraya García; Samantha Bustillos; Dr. Robert Bradley, Associate Professor of Art; Gerardo Segundo; Alan Earhart, Director of International Programs & Partnerships; Ricardo Carrillo; Omar Nedzelsky Jr; Samuel Cavazos; and Dr. Robert Hoppens, Associate Professor of History. Not pictured are Gilman recipients Kristopher Price, Valeria Treviño, Jose García and Raul Martínez. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Featured, from left: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley students and triplets Zachary, Victoria and Joshua Pérez from Edinburg who have shared every graduation since kindergarten. But their Saturday, May 12, 2018 commencement ceremony probably was their last together. All three are biology majors, but each had chosen a different path for the future. Zachary is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biology at UTRGV; Victoria will continue at UTRGV to pursue a Master’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering; and Joshua will attend the UT-Austin College of Pharmacy. On Friday, May 11, 2018 and Saturday, May 12, 2018, UTRGV held two days of the Spring 2018 Commencement ceremonies honoring 3,100 graduates. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Featured, from left: Danny Díaz, Financial Aid Specialist, La Joya Independent School District; Myriam Téllez, Director, Guidance and Counseling Program, La Joya Independent School District; Rep. Sergio Muñoz, D-Mission; and Steve Chapa, Director, Student Outreach, the University of Texas at Austin. The House 36 state legislator was participating in Decision Day on Friday, May 4, 2018 at Palmview High School, where seniors were committing to attend colleges or universities of their choice.

Featured: Mayor Richard Molina shows off a championship boxing belt during his State of the City Address, held on Thursday, April 19, 2017 at the Edinburg Auditorium, in part to symbolize the power of the city’s economy. “Here’s the bottom line: more people are moving to Edinburg,” the mayor proclaimed. “They know this is the best place to live, work and learn. We expect the population to continue to grow because of everything this city has to offer.”

Featured, from left: Alfredo Álvarez, President, Texas State Teachers Association Region 6 and Donna TSTA Treasurer; René Zamora, President, Edinburg Texas State Teachers Association; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; and María “Maggie” Inglett, President, Harlingen Texas State Teachers Association, and Officer, TSTA Region 6. On Wednesday, April 28, 2018, in the First National Bank Ballroom in Mercedes, Canales, the House District 40 leader, was the only Rio Grande Valley member of the Texas Legislature who received the prestigious “Friend of Education” award by the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) – Region 6.

Featured, from left: Letty Rodríguez, Escrow Officer/Sales Representative, Edwards Abstract & Title Co.; Elva Jackson Garza, Vice President & Marketing Manager, Edwards Abstract & Title Co.; Keely Lewis; Mayor Richard Molina; and Byron Jay Lewis, President & CEO, Edwards Abstract & Title Co. The area leaders posed for this portrait following the conclusion of the 14th Annual State of Real Estate Forum, coordinated by Edwards Abstract & Title Co., which took place on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The State of Real Estate Forum is presented as a public service of Edwards Abstract and Title Co., and focuses on the national, state and local economic outlook.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 hosted a grand opening of its UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty office, located at 4150 Crosspoint Blvd. in Edinburg. The specialty office aims to close gaps in access to general and specialty care for children, with services that include general pediatrics, pulmonary, developmental, and metabolic and genetic disorders. The grand opening included tours of the facility and a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina, Mayor Pro Tem David Torres, Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez and other community and university leaders. Molina, the Edinburg mayor, expressed the community’s excitement about the pediatrics practice bringing much-needed care to the region. “Families are not going to have to travel anymore to Corpus Christi or San Antonio or Houston,” he said. “Now they can come to UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty Clinic and get the very best medical care close to home. As your mayor, I couldn’t be more proud to say, it’s one more step toward a healthier community.” The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Featured: As Dr. Lino García, Jr., Ph.D., approached his 84th birthday in January, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Professor Emeritus of Spanish Literature said change is what keeps him motivated. García has ridden waves of major change in the Rio Grande Valley’s higher education offerings, going back to his college days in the 1960s at Pan American College, to UTRGV and its sprawling distributed-campus university that serves some 28,000 students throughout the Valley and beyond. He started working at Pan American College in 1967 as a Spanish instructor. Fifty years later, he is still teaching with the same enthusiasm for his students and their success. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Featured: Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina, left, welcomes Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, on Thursday, April 19, 2018, following the mayor’s State of the City Address, which took place in the Edinburg Municipal Auditorium, located at 415 W. McIntyre Street.